Hot off the press, the latest (7th) edition of my best-selling book on security vulnerability and penetration testing, Hacking For Dummies, is here! Hacking For Dummies is one of the oldest and most successful books on information and computer security and, as of 2019, it has been translated into 9 different languages. Who would've thought all the blood, sweat, and tears that I put in to the first edition of ...
Continue Reading...I'm no jet fuel genius. Nor am I a statistician. I'm certainly no epidemiologist. I don't even consider myself to be one of the smartest people in my own field. But I do know enough to realize that when a problem exists (even if it's yet to be acknowledged), once it's sought after, it will be uncovered. And once it uncovered, does this newfound knowledge actually change anything? Not necessarily. ...
Continue Reading...I had the opportunity to be invited to speak at the Attorney's Liability Assurance Society (ALAS) 2020 Cybersecurity Conference in Phoenix, AZ last week, and it was awesome. With a great group of 220 law firm IT leaders and general counsel professionals, I presented Beyond the Policies: Top 5 Security Findings (that I see in literally every security assessment I perform). I also served as a panelist for a lively ...
Continue Reading...Many people are quick to proclaim that passwords are dead...that SSO, MFA, and related technologies are THE solution. Not so fast. Passwords, as we've known them for decades, are not going away anytime soon. Sure, I'll embrace the technologies that help take the pain out of passwords and password management. Hopefully we will be password-free in the next few decades. Still, pragmatism will win out over presumed quick fixes every ...
Continue Reading...I can't believe that I recently submitted my 1,000th article...it's been a long time coming! I first started writing in 2001 and it has been one of the best things I ever did. Thanks so much for your support over the years!Here's some new content I've written for the nice folks over at Toolbox.com (Ziff Davis) that you might be interested in: Outsource your security monitoring/alerting and be done with ...
Continue Reading...Application security is no doubt one of the most important aspects of a security program. Here are some new pieces I've written that can help keep your web and mobile app vulnerabilities in check and your application security program on the right track...pay special attention to the last one regarding security assessments and reality:Keeping your Web applications in check with HIPAA complianceMobile app security risks could cost you millionsCommon oversights ...
Continue Reading...Want tips on how to perform better security assessments and penetration tests? Here you go:What are the most important security testing basics?Determining your scope of security testingBest Practices and Tips for Choosing Application Security Testing ToolsWhy ALL of your Web applications need security testingIt can be dangerous assuming a vulnerability is not a vulnerabilityWhat constitutes a “critical” security flaw?Rely on data center audits alone and you’ll get hit eventually What ...
Continue Reading...It's official - the 5th edition of my book Hacking For Dummies is out!Outside of the first edition that was written 13 years ago, this new edition has, by far, the most updates and improvements yet. All based on the mistakes I make and the things I learn in my hands-on work performing independent security vulnerability assessments and penetration tests, I feel like Hacking For Dummies has come of age.In ...
Continue Reading...Windows XP...ah, the memories!I wrote many of my books including the first two editions of Hacking For Dummies and the first edition of The Practical Guide to HIPAA Privacy and Security Compliance originally on Windows XP - not to mention countless articles, security assessment reports and more over a 7-8 year span.It was nice working with you XP!I waited to write this post today, the day after all the Windows ...
Continue Reading...I'd love it if you'd join me over at SearchSecurity.com next week where I'll be talking about the rest of the story regarding security assessments...You know the tools and you're probably familiar with the methodologies...that's why I'm going to share with you many other important aspects of security assessments that, unless someone tells you, you'll likely only learn the hard way. And that's no fun.In my webcast What you need ...
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